Manufacturers in this issue include: Electronics For Imaging (greener, more efficient digital printing), Itema and Prosperity Texile (sustainable innovation in denim), Rudholm Group (digital labels for sustainability), and more.

Quotes of the week:

“Vintage fashion is not the answer to everything, and the future must provide solutions for the creation of new apparel.” Katie Anderson (20 Oct).

“If 99% of clothing on offer is conventional, that is, produced in a non-organic and exploitative way, then one green sock in your wardrobe doesn't help much. In fact, it’s harmful because it calms the conscience.” Christa Luginbühl, Public Eye (16 Oct – in German).

What the circular economy’s early days look like for Amazon and Nike: “Conversations are less about what it looks like to move away from the old “take, make, waste” linear model and more about how to partner to drive new, circular models forward, Hudson said. “It’s less about, ‘how do I apply this to my organization,’ and more about, ‘who do I collaborate with as I move to this transition.’”” (19 Oct).

American Apparel doesn’t deserve a second chance in Canada: “The brand's problems went beyond shoddy clothes. Prior to bankruptcy, American Apparel, known for touting the moral fibre of its sweatshop-free clothing, found itself under fire for labour complaints and an investigation into unauthorized immigrant workers at its Los Angeles factory” (19 Oct).

Primark sharpens ethical focus in bid for German customers: “Primark, the fashion chain owned by Associated British Foods, has emphasised its commitment to environmental standards and safer working conditions as it fights for market share in discount-loving Germany and other countries … German shoppers are also more demanding when it comes to ethical standards, [Wolfgang Krogmann, head of Primark in Germany] said, prompting the company to trial "Primark Cares" posters in its stores in the country, with information about its factories and how it sources raw materials” (18 Oct).

The secret betrayal that sealed Nike’s special influence over the University of Oregon: “In the mid-1990s, University of Oregon President Dave Frohnmayer needed money to save his school. Alum and Nike chief executive Phil Knight was happy to help—as long as the university could be managed in a way that would maximize the company’s brand and profits. But when Frohnmayer made a key misstep, Knight exacted a brutal punishment” (18 Oct).

Armedangels & sustainable design: “Not just throwing nice products on the market”: “German sustainable fashion label Armedangels has revised its denim collection. The new jeans for women and men not only fit better but have also been produced in a water-saving manner and completely without the use of chemicals. Sara Maier from Armedangels talks about the difficulty and beauty of working sustainably as a designer” (18 Oct).

Nike awards six creative solutions for footwear and manufacturing waste: “In February 2018, Nike invited submissions for inventive responses to two pivotal sustainability questions: What can be made from footwear material waste? And how can the footwear recycling process be improved to ensure that higher quality, more versatile resources are created from footwear-related waste?” (15 Oct). [Ed’s note: Design with Grind winners: Yogo, Pdd_kicks, Circular Cities, InShape Mattress, and Stuffed; Material recovery winner: SuMaRec.]

Nike and Indonesian government deny company leaving Indonesia: Two weeks ago, Serikat Pekerja Nasional [National Workers’ Union] claimed Nike was about to cease ordering products from 19 Indonesian factories (and listed the factories – see here, for example). But both Nike and the Indonesian government (the Ministry of Industry, see here) have denied the news (14 Oct – in Indonesian).

Weaving their way of out of poverty: “Bringing their weaving products to and triggering the demand in the market would not have been possible for women like Sykai and Papeng without the work of local non-profit organisations and social enterprises such as The Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre (TAEC) and Ock Pop Tok. These entities not only provide support and training for weavers to access the market, but also loans and employment” (21 Oct).

UN underlines importance of human rights due diligence in new business and human rights report: “A new report on human rights due diligence has just been presented at the UN General Assembly in New York. Prepared by the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights, it provides reflections on the global landscape, and recommendations to businesses, governments and investors on what they could and should be doing” (19 Oct). [Ed’s note: full report – English - here; also available in F, S, A, C, R. Summary here.]

Facing fashion’s sustainable challenge: “Sustainability has risen up the agenda in recent years as brands and retailers have taken action to clean up fashion. Earlier this month, MPs called on retailers such as Next, Arcadia Group and Marks & Spencer to give evidence to a government inquiry on the sustainability of the fashion industry. In light of this, some of the industry’s biggest businesses, including Burberry, Tesco, M&S and Pentland Brands, gathered at Drapers’ sustainability roundtable at in London on 20 September, held in association with sustainability solutions provider Yellow Octopus and clothes recycling app Regain, to discuss how to implement real change” (19 Oct).

Chinese company conducts CSR training course in Myanmar: “The two-day training course is conducted by China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC) with the cooperation of China Enterprises Chamber of Commerce in Myanmar (CECCM), Ethical Trading Initiative, German Cooperation [GIZ] and SMART Myanmar” (18 Oct).

Shanghai Fashion Week: “Shades of sustainability: In a market where cheaply produced, fast fashion is just a click away, sustainability may seem like a hard sell. Yet, it continues to be a growing force at Shanghai Fashion Week, as both designers and industry leaders recognize China’s unique potential to reduce fashion's environmental footprint” (18 Oct).

EyeFitU B2B platform, for retailers looking for an eco-conscious approach to clothes shopping: “The EyeFitU patented Sizing Engine is now available for integration via a SaaS model for an online store. The fashion-sizing software company … is offering a unique sizing solution that helps fashion retailers increase sales and reduce returns. Promising also to enhance the customer experience with personalisation, EyeFitU also hopes to encourage a more sustainable approach to clothes shopping” (14 Oct).

Typical! Michael Otto: TV documentary about CmiA founder Prof. Michael Otto. Film crew accompanies him on trips to Asia and Africa and shows how he strives to harmonise sustainability and business (02 Oct – 28:30-minute video – in German).

THE SUPPLY CHAIN

Bangladesh

Accord goes slow in handing over responsibility: “Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, the platform of European retailers, has failed to keep its promise to start handing over RMG factory safety monitoring responsibility to the government body in time” (22 Oct).

Fear again for safety of textile workers in Bangladesh: “Joris Oldenziel, deputy director of the Bangladesh Accord, is worried. “According to the judge, the government of Bangladesh must take the controls, but it is not ready yet.” A government service has recently been set up but we want to stay in Bangladesh to help the government” (22 Oct – in Dutch).

Winding up the Bangladesh Accord endangers millions of factory workers: “The Supreme Court in Bangladesh has decided that the [Bangladesh Accord] will come to an end on 30 November. By doing so, the country is endangering the safety of millions of workers, trade unions warn. European politicians and clothing companies are worried. But what can they do?” (21 Oct – 10:18-minute broadcast – in Dutch).

Cambodia

EU, Cambodia talks fail to end trade sanction threat – Mogherini: “Cambodia failed on Friday to reassure the European Union it will address democratic and human right issues that have put its trade preferences with the bloc at risk, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said after a summit with Asian leaders” (19 Oct).

‘Kingdom ready if EBA withdrawn’: Ministry: “A senior Labour Ministry official said a withdrawal of the preferential Everything But Arms (EBA) trade agreement with the EU would not hurt the Kingdom’s economy” (18 Oct).

MANUFACTURERS

Revealed: hidden source of hazardous textile pollutants: “Large amounts of commodity chemicals used in the textile industry are contaminated with potentially hazardous substances such as APEO’s, phthalates, chlorobenzene, toluene and other restricted chemicals – that routinely end up in wastewater” (22 Oct).

9th Bangladesh Denim Expo kicks off Nov 7: “The 9th edition of Bangladesh Denim Expo is going to be held on 7th and 8th November at the International Convention City Bashundhara in Dhaka with a special theme focusing on ‘Simplicity in Supply Chain’ … aimed at defining a much simpler, easier definition to understand sustainability and ecology in denim” (21 Oct).

Itema innovation helps denim go greener through the whole chain: "A important new partnership between Itema and Prosperity Texile signals a greener future for the whole denim production chain. Prosperity Textile, a major denim producer worldwide, has chosen for its new facility one of the most interesting and sustainable-oriented Itema technologies, iSAVER™ equipped on the Itema R95002 denim, which completely eliminates the left-hand weft waste, allowing to insert the weft yarns in the fabric without the need of additional yarns (21 Oct - press release).

Walk the walk with digital sustainability marketing for fashion: “Sweden-based Rudholm Group has been in the business of making trims, garment labels and other fashion accessories since 1951 and operates in 22 countries. Not someone you would turn to for delivering a brand’s sustainability story. Yet, Rudholm has come up with a simple and smart concept called ShareLabel” (19 Oct).

EU adopts restrictions on CMRs in textiles: “The European Commission has adopted restrictions for 33 carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic (CMR) substances used in clothing, textiles and footwear. The restrictions place maximum concentration limits on the substances and ban certain textiles that exceed the thresholds from being placed on the EU market. Product exemptions apply, including for natural leather and second-hand clothing” (11 Oct).

15 November, London: Leather & Sustainability in Retail Conference 2018: “Join BLC, ILM and leather industry professionals at this year’s half-day leather sustainability conference which covers sustainability and innovation around raw materials for leather, uses for waste materials within the leather value chain and circular economy. The conference will also be considering new materials coming to market and look at transparency and traceability of production within existing processes.”

Disclaimer: The Fashion Sustainability Week in Review (FSWIR) is a twice-weekly roundup of sustainability news items relevant to the fashion, apparel, textile and related industries. The views and opinions expressed in the FSWIR by individual authors and/or media outlets cited do not necessarily reflect the position of GoBlu International or any individual associated with the company.